Small Stack All In, Big Pot, Checked To You. . . What to Do? [Archive]

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ThorGoT

10-12-2004, 02:03 PM

I was faced with this situation in a $50 tournament, and feel like I misplayed it both pre- and post-flop. I ended up placing second to the Big Blind (for the second tournament in a row). I would be curious to hear what others would have done:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (6 handed)

MP (t3080)
Hero (t1145)
Button (t1635)
SB (t630)
BB (t2000)
UTG (t1510)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A/images/graemlins/club.gif, J/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
1 fold, MP calls t100, Hero calls t100, Button calls t100, SB raises to t630 (All-In), BB calls t530, MP folds, Hero calls t530, Button folds.

Flop: (t2090) Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 9/images/graemlins/club.gif (3 players, 1 all-in)
BB checks, Hero checks.

Turn: (t2090) 2/images/graemlins/club.gif (3 players, 1 all-in)
BB bets t700, Hero folds.

River: (t2790) 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: t2790
Main Pot: t2090 (t2090), between SB and BB. > Pot won by BB (t2090).
Pot 2: t700 (t700), returned to BB.

Results in white below: 
SB has 7h Ks (one pair, fours).
BB has Kh Jd (one pair, fours).
Outcome: BB wins t2790.

Unarmed

10-12-2004, 02:13 PM

You did fine.
BB is an idiot for bluffing the dry side pot.

TheDrone

10-12-2004, 02:28 PM

Once the shortstack goes all-in and the BB calls, you definitely do not want to call off half of your stack with AJo. It's push or fold here, and I don't think pushing with AJo is +EV because you no longer have folding equity against the BB. I would push with AQs+ or JJ+, but if I had these hands I would have raised in the first place.

The fold on the turn was correct because you are very likely behind, you don't have any clean outs, and usually people don't bet the dry side of a pot without at least top pair. Usually. Folding here gives you a chance to overcome your pre-flop mistake and look for a better opportunity to put the rest of your chips in. Obviously you found a better opportunity if you took second.

Drac

10-12-2004, 03:13 PM

Fold or push when faced with the preflop action. I prefer the fold in this situation in order to find a better place to get my money in. You could be facing a couple of @ss clowns or you could be dominated. I'd rather not take the chance at this point.

ThorGoT

10-12-2004, 03:17 PM

I agree it was a mistake to call preflop. What about pushing on the flop, when the big blind checks, given the 70% chance (or so) that he didn't hit, and the reasonable possibility that the small blind pushed with junk?

Marcotte

10-12-2004, 05:20 PM

[ QUOTE ]
You did fine.
BB is an idiot for bluffing the dry side pot.

[/ QUOTE ]

No he's not. This isn't a bubble situation, so BB doesn't gain much from SB busting out. If BB doesn't win this hand he will be in last or next to last place with either 5 or 6 players left. He wants to increase his chance of winning the pot. Hero showed weakness on the flop, and a non-threatening card fell on the turn, making it a good bluff opportunity. Notice if Hero folds, BB gets his bet back, so he has a better chance to win the pot with no additional risk.

And, at risk of being accused of being results oriented, BB won a pot which he would have lost had he checked it down.

[Note: Sklansky makes this point in TPFAP. In his example, he has Hero with AK raising before the flop. He gets an all-in call from LP and two calls from the blinds. The flop comes rags, both blinds check, and he recommends the hero bet for the above reasons.]

ThorGoT

10-12-2004, 06:52 PM

I have to agree with Marcotte here, that betting on the flop would be the correct move. I have read and agreed with the general advice that checking it down, rather than taking the chance to win the pot, is a mistake. I read TPFAP, too, but obviously did not remember this section in the heat of the moment.